PPI is a researcher, producer and developer of multi-touch display solutions. It was founded in 2006 by Jeff Han and shipped its first Multi-Touch Workstation and Multi-Touch Collaboration Wall in 2007, which changed the way CNN covered the 2008 U.S. Presidential elections.

“The acquisition of PPI allows us to draw on our complementary strengths, and we’re excited to accelerate this market evolution,” said Kurt DelBene, president, Office Division for Microsoft. “PPI’s large touch displays, when combined with hardware from our OEMs, will become powerful Windows 8-based PCs and open new possibilities for productivity and collaboration.”

Microsoft could definitely benefit from PPI, since it has an entire new line of Windows Phone 8 and Surface tablet devices being released this year. Microsoft unveiled its 10.6-inch Surface tablet in June, which will feature a 3 mm fold-out keyboard that doubles as a case, a thin 9.3 mm frame, and two complete versions of the tablets: the Windows RT model with a Tegra 3 processor and 32/64 GB SSD options, and the Windows 8 Pro model with Intel Corp's Core i5 Ivy Bridge processors and 64/128 GB SSD options.

“We are incredibly excited to be working together on our mutual passion to build technologies that enable people to collaborate and communicate,” said Han. “By joining Microsoft, we will be able to take advantage of the tremendous momentum of the Microsoft Office Division, tightly interoperate with its products, and deliver this technology to a very broad set of customers.”